Zhang Lei, Chinese parkour expert and Donnie Yen stunt double, dies of heart attack at the age of 39

Zhang served as Yen’s stunt double in several films from 2009 to 2014.

While Yen, often hailed by the Hong Kong media as “the strongest in the universe,” performed most of his stunts himself, Zhang served as his official stunt double. Bodyguards and Assassins, Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, Swordsman, The Monkey King, The IcemanAnd Special ID.

On his Douyin account, Zhang shared film clips of himself skillfully maneuvering through crowded narrow streets, jumping and rolling across war-torn battlefields, or evading pursuers on rainy night streets.

“My ability to start quickly and move powerfully in a short period of time is quite impressive. This is similar to Yen. I think this is the main reason why I was chosen as his stunt double,” Zhang said in an interview with the Beijing Extreme Sports Association.

His performance as a stunt double in Bodyguards and Assassins was one of the first films in mainland China to fully showcase parkour.

Zhang also worked with Hong Kong actor Yuen Wah in the television series A legend of Shaolin Kung Fu.

In 2010, he began teaching as a top-level parkour coach at the Sammo Hung Kam-po International Film and Television Training Base, an institution founded by Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung.

Since the introduction of parkour in China in 2007, Zhang was one of the first to embrace the sport and dedicate his life to promoting it.

“Even though I get injured a lot, I still love this sport. Parkour lets me let off steam. It feels like flying. I love the heart-pounding feeling it gives me,” Zhang said.

He added that he was born for parkour.

Zhang won the championship at a national parkour competition in 2010 and initiated several major parkour events in China.

In 2008, he founded a parkour club where he taught the skills to more than 2,000 students.

“I trained with Brother Lei for a while, he was a good person. He really loved parkour and led us passionately,” said a Douyin observer.

In 2023, he led a team that established the first group standard for parkour projects in the country.

Parkour originated in France in the 1980s and is an extreme sport that includes elements such as climbing, jumping and rolling.

The focus is on moving as quickly and efficiently as possible in a familiar environment, and the freedom, agility and challenge that this offers attracts many young people.

Despite some concerns about the effects of extreme sports on physical health, most online observers expressed regret over Zhang’s death.

“It’s such a shame. He was so young,” one said.

“He was my son’s coach. Farewell!” added another.